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Cougars To Wrap-up Season In Pullman Against USC, UCLA

This Week: Washington State (10-5-2, 4-1-2) puts a wrap on the 2002 regular season with home matches against No. 12 USC and No. 3 UCLA...the Cougars bolstered their postseason resume by knocking off Arizona State, who is No. 25 in the NSCAA/Adidas poll this week, and Arizona on the road...with the victories, the Cougars assured themselves of their second above .500 mark in conference in the last three years.

Scouting the Trojans: USC (10-5-3, 5-2-0) is fresh off a sweep of Oregon and Oregon State and ranked No. 12 in this week's Soccertimes.com Coaches Poll...three of the Trojan's five losses have come to No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 North Carolina, and No. 3 UCLA...USC is led by senior Ali Fennell, who has nine goals and an assist...Junior Jessica Edwards and sophomore Ashley Casas have combined for 14 points...sophomore goalkeeper Julie Peterson is one of the Pac-10's top netminders, giving up just 0.84 goals per game making 75 saves on the year...Washington State has only one victory in seven matches with USC, a 2-0 decision in Head Coach Dan Tobias' first season on the Palouse, 1998.

Scouting the Bruins: No. 3 UCLA (14-3-0, 6-1-0) outscored Oregon and Oregon State 6-1 last weekend as it pushed toward a third-straight national top five finish...the Bruins feature six players that have scored 10 or more points, led by freshman Katie Rivera and Lindsay Greco, who have 16 each...freshman Iris Mora and sophomore Kim Devine have combined for 28...sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Lombardo owns a 0.62 goals against average and has thrown up seven shutouts...after beginning the series with a win and a tie, WSU has dropped seven-straight matches to UCLA...the Cougars lost 1-0 in the last meeting with UCLA in Pullman.

Cougar Coaching Staff: Head Coach Dan Tobias is now in his fifth year at the helm and guided Washington State to the NCAA Tournament in 2000...Tobias has tallied 43 wins in the first four years of his tenure, putting him in second for career victories at WSU... the former Cal Poly standout player and assistant is the third coach in the 14-year history of the Cougar soccer program...assistant Curtis McAlister is in his fourth year on the Palouse and works primarily on defensive organization and with the goalkeepers...his presence was a huge factor during WSU's run to the postseason in 2000, as the Cougars allowed only 19 goals in 21 matches...Oregon native Lisa Oyen begins her second season on the staff...the four-year letterwinner at the University of Montana coordinates summer camps and brings a wealth of playing experience to the program.

Wilcox, Rustrum, Brownfield Add Firepower: Washington State has benefited greatly on the offensive end from the addition of Iowa State transfer Nicole Wilcox, Connecticut transfer Shelby Brownfield...Wilcox leads the team with 19 points on six goals and seven assists...Wilcox also leads the team with 49 shots, including 21 on goal...Rustrum has used her speed and 5-10 frame to score five goals and rack up six assists...Brownfield didn't play until Oct. 11 because of a knee injury, but has sparked the Cougar offense with nine points in seven conference games, including the game-winner Nov. 1 at Arizona State.

Free Soccer: Prior to Washington State's Oct. 13 match with Oregon State, the Cougars had played 11-consecutive contests, dating back to last season, without going into overtime...starting with the OSU match, the Cougars played three-straight double overtime matches to start the Pac-10 schedule...no team in school history has gone to overtime three outings in a row, let alone three double overtimes...WSU is 5-3-2 in overtime under current Head Coach Dan Tobias, and has not lost in the last five...the Cougars are 9-7-2 all-time outside of regulation.

Class of 2000: Washington State's freshmen class of 2000 features eight players that have been significant contributors during their first two-and- a half seasons at Washington State... Defenders Mariette Boyce and Shay Hobby, forward/midfielders Jessica Allen, Kim Morgan, Jenna Wirtz, and Rachel Rodrick, and goalkeeper Sara Leibowitz are all expected to be integral pieces to squad this season as WSU will be shooting for a second postseason appearance in three years.

Starting Experience: Head Coach Dan Tobias will rely on a wealth of experience in the starting lineup in 2002....The Cougars return 16 starters who had a combined 275 career matches started under their belts prior to the first contest of 2002...There are also still eight players who competed in the 2000 NCAA Tournament...Junior stalwarts Mariette Boyce, Shay Hobby, Kim Morgan, and Rachel Rodrick have combined to start 211 matches and score 78 points.

Senior Midfielder Katrina Stroh In The Record Books: Federal Way, Wash., native Katrina Stroh has established herself as one of the best players ever to wear a Cougar uniform during her first three years in Pullman, and is looking to add to that legacy this season...Stroh's 22 career goals is third on the WSU all-time list, while her 15 assists is third...The Decatur High School graduate is also third in career points with 59.

Junior Rachel Rodrick In The Record Books: Just past the midpoint of her Washington State career, junior forward Rachel Rodrick is climbing quickly up the school career records list...With a goal against Oregon Oct. 13, the Curtis High School graduate moved to fourth in career goals with 17, and is tied for fourth in points with 44...Rodrick is also tied for third in multiple goal matches with four, and recorded her first career hat trick against Eastern Washington in 2001.

Junior Goalkeeper Sara Leibowitz: With six shutouts under her belt in 2002 and eight for her career, junior goalkeeper Sara Leibowitz is establishing herself as one of the conference's top netminders...Leibowitz posted her first solo shutout as a freshman in 2000 against UNLV, and blanked her first Pac-10 opponent this season in a double overtime win over Oregon State...the Simi Valley, Calif., native ranks fourth on WSU's all-time list in shutouts and ninth in saves.

Cougars vs. Top 25 Opponents: WSU's split with Stanford and California Oct. 25 and 27 marked the programs 56th and 57th matches against top 25 opponents all-time...In those matches, WSU has come away with the win 11 times while tying on five occasions...Aside from the victory over No. 2 Washington in the 2000 regular season finale, WSU owns two other victories over top 10 teams...In 1993, under the direction of Lisa Fraser, the Cougars upset No. 6 Stanford in Pullman...In 1994, the Cougs opened what would become an NCAA Tournament season by defeating Connecticut 2-1...Fraser helped WSU achieve their highest ranking in the national polls in 1993, peaking at No. 11 on Sept. 12.

Cougs On The Tube: The Washington State soccer program is no stranger to television coverage...Cougar matches have appeared on television a total of 27 times, 19 on Prime Sports Northwest and eight on Fox Sports Northwest...WSU soccer debuted on the tube Oct. 5, 1990 with a 4-0 win over Seattle Pacific. Possibly the most memorable television appearance came in 1991 as the Cougars took 58 shots on goal en route to a 15-0 blowout of Gonzaga. Dan Tobias went 2-1 in his first season at WSU on television, including a 1-0 overtime win against Washington on Fox Sports Northwest...The most recent appearance on Fox Sports Northwest was Washington State's 1-0 win over Arizona State Nov. 1.